


Time After Time

by babycreampuff



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-23
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 05:45:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3598608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babycreampuff/pseuds/babycreampuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A multi-chaptered fic, set directly after episode 36 of the glorious Carmilla webseries. Explores what happens to the Silas students and its resident vampire after Laura suggested they leave for Reading Week and never come back, and will basically continue from there with my own imagination of what Season 2 would be like. Will include flashbacks of Carmilla’s past, some fighting scenes, and general Hollstein fluff of course.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone :D *waves*  
> As my username might have suggested, I’m kinda new to the Carmilla fandom (I know it’s late, but. The feels.) That being said, I have fallen absolutely in love with the story, the characters (especially HOLLSTEIN) and the unique dynamic in this fandom of creampuffs. However, I do feel there are some areas in the series that can be explored further, such as Carmilla’s past and those badass fighting scenes which we unfortunately only heard through Laura’s or one of her friends’ narrative. While I do hope that these scenes would be featured in Season 2, honestly the wait is torturing my little creampuff heart and hence my wild imaginations start to come up with various scenes and plots, which I would now like to share… while still pining for Season 2. Fair warning, there would be some angst and violence involved. 
> 
> With that said, I sincerely hope that this little fic by this little creampuff can provide the fandom with something fun to read while we all wait for Season 2 :)

_Silas University, Laura’s dorm room, day._

“Okay, so here’s the plan. We will all go home for reading week, study as usual, but we’ll never come back. Ever. Until, of course, until we receive news that _somehow,_ somebody has extinguished that creepy Light glutton. Or something. In the meantime, I’m sure we can get some materials online to continue our pursuit of knowledge,” Laura laughs nervously as she ends her briefing of the ‘plan’ to the rest of her friends. She knows it can barely pass as a plan, but it’s the only one they've got.

Looking around, Laura sees Perry nodding her head in glum acceptance, LaFontaine shrugging at her and Danny huffing in resignation. Kirsch seems delighted though, whispering something about not having to do his reading and homework at last. Laura’s eyes drift past them for a second as she tries to see Carmilla’s reaction. To her mild disappointment, Carmilla isn’t even looking at her. The vampire is studying her nails as she leans against the wall, a little further away from the rest.

“Well… okay then!” Laura continues. “With that settled, I guess we can move on to my little problem of transportation? Danny?”

“Sorry Laura, but my parents are picking me up. I don’t think they can give you a lift,” Danny replies, looking truly apologetic. Laura quickly tells her it was okay, before turning her hopeful gaze to Kirsch. Sensing her gaze, he looks up.

“Aww, damn, I can’t, little hottie. Sorry. As uncool as it is, I’ve got plenty of stuff I want to bring home and I don’t think my tiny car can fit one more passenger…”

Laura sighs, telling Kirsch not to worry about it. She has called her Dad asking for a lift, but given her sudden, earlier-than-usual wish to return home for reading week, her Dad just couldn’t make it. He’s fretted about Laura hitching a ride with strangers, but at the end (after half an hour of a full-on formal debate session) Laura manages to convince him that she would only hitch a ride with her friends. Close friends. Friends she knows well. Friends who know her well. Friends who wouldn’t try to kill her.

With Danny and Kirsch out, the only option left is…

“LaF?” Laura asks, somewhat regretfully as she knows LaFontaine’s car isn’t very big either. LaF just grins back at her, though.

“No problem, L. It’ll be tight, but I’m pretty sure we can fit in one or two more humans, aside from Perry and me.”

“Oh gosh, thank you so much!” Laura beams, clapping her hands in relief. “Okay, so that’s finally settled. Oh, I’d feel _so_ much better once we are out of this place.”

A chorus of agreement answers her, and Laura moves on to discuss a few other things. She can’t help but notice that Carmilla hasn’t said a single word during the discussion, though. She is being… well, broody. 

Which is a real bummer, to be honest. Carm had been in an especially good mood after they… uh, well, kissed. She was joking around, willing to entertain Laura’s interview, and most importantly _smiling._ But right after LaF made them realise that Lophiiformes is still alive, Carmilla went straight back to her broody self.

Laura pouts slightly.

* * *

_Silas University, Laura’s dorm room, night._

“Sleep well, guys! See you tomorrow morning!”

Laura waves her friends good night, waiting until they disappear at the end of the hallway before closing her door. She yawns widely. She is _exhausted_ ; it’s been a long and intense day of planning, fretting and peeking through the window with Kirsch’s binoculars to check if any hungry Light suddenly emerges from the Lustig building. Man, she has been constantly on her feet ever since LaFontaine warned them about the Light. She has launched herself into a flurry of activities, mainly rounding up her friends and trying to break the news as gently as possible to them.

So much for ‘gently,’ though. Laura remembers herself running and screaming into Danny’s room even as LaF and Carmilla went to warn Perry and Kirsch respectively. It may not be the most effective start, but fortunately they have all calmed down after discussing the “Great Reading Week Escapade” plan. Somewhat.

Still… Laura knows she’ll feel a lot better once they are _actually_ out of the immediate vicinity of the Silas campus.

Stretching, Laura turns around, only to see Carmilla sitting quietly on her bed—still brooding. Carmilla does that a lot, really, but this time it’s rather concerning given her perfect record of silence during their discussion.

“Y’know, I can’t help but notice that you’ve been unusually quiet,” Laura comments in a fake nonchalant tone as she walks over to the counter and pours the last of her cereal into a bowl. She’s halfway through checking her soymilk container to make sure it isn’t Carmilla’s when she receives a flat reply.

“I just didn’t have anything to contribute.”

“Yeah, but no snarky comments, no eye-rolls, nothing?” Laura chuckles. “They are your distinguishing character, to be honest.”

She gets a faint crack of smile for this comment. Carmilla shrugs, but the way her shoulders immediately droop after the gesture makes Laura rather worried.

“Carm, are you okay? You seem… off.”

Carmilla huffs at this, finally looking up to fix Laura with one of her ‘I’m not in the mood for talking but you just won’t shut up,’ stares.

Laura is undeterred though. She’s figured out long ago that if Carmilla really doesn’t want to talk, she wouldn’t even be here in the first place. She would’ve been off prowling somewhere in solitude.

“Really, Carm, I’m worried. What’s wrong?”

Carmilla heaves a long sigh, letting her gaze drop again. Laura is about to leave her cereal to approach the brooding vampire, but that’s when Carmilla speaks up—albeit more to the floor than to Laura.

“Maybe I’m just a little sad that I soon wouldn’t be able to see you anymore, cupcake.”

_…Huh?_

Laura keeps quiet for a second as her brain processes this unexpected answer. She fails to come up with any satisfying explanations, though, and thus feels obliged to seek clarification.

“Uh, sorry Carm, but I don’t think I get what you…I mean, what do you mean? You know I’m still gonna be around and—”

Carmilla cuts her. “Well, _I’m_ not. I’m not leaving with you and your friends for reading week.”

“………………………”

_…Wait. What?!_

Laura gapes, her brain coming up with at least twenty different versions of ‘no way’ but no sound comes out of her mouth. She thinks she heard her spoon clatter on the tabletop, but totally disregards such an insignificant occurrence. She opts for voicing out her confusion, although it _may_ have involved more stuttering than she expected.

“I… you… why? There’s no reason for you to stay, Carm, y’know LaFontaine already said she can give us a ride to go home—”

_Oh._  

The moment that word leaves her mouth, Laura realizes her huge overlook.

In their haste and anxiety to flee the campus, she has apparently made some wrong assumptions. All this time, she has assumed that Carmilla has some sort of secret hideout, probably a hidden 18th century vampire mansion or something, or at least a shadowy cottage where she can stay during Reading Week. Laura has even made plans of visiting Carmilla during the break, maybe to study together or to simply hang out. What she hasn’t considered was the possibility that—

She looks up nervously as Carmilla gives her a wry smile.

“Yeah, that’s right. I don’t have anywhere to ‘go home’ to, cupcake.”

_This is not happening._

Laura bites her lip anxiously, struggling to come up with _something._ “But, but… there has to be _somewhere_ you can go back to!” she sputters. “A lair, a den or, or a nest or something!" 

Carmilla smirks joylessly at her. “Funny how you immediately associated me with animalistic dwellings, sweetheart.”

Laura growls, “You know what I mean.”

Carmilla sighs again, running a hand through her hair. “I do have temporary dens all over the country, but they are only good for spending a night in. The more… habitable… places, all belong to my Mother. Would be reckless to go and hide in one of them, don’t you think?”

Laura falls silent for a while as she forces her brain to think of alternatives.

_Okaaay, so a new problem arises. Great. Totally cool. Totally not a reason to panic. We can definitely talk this over and come up with a solution before bedtime, considering that_ tomorrow morning _we already have to get outta here—_

Carmilla seems to notice her building panic, though. The vampire waves her hand experimentally to get Laura’s attention.

“Cupcake, don’t you worry your pretty little head over it,” she says matter-of-factly, as if Laura is just fretting over the weather forecast. “You know I’ll get by, as I’ve always had in this place.”

 “But you can’t just _stay_ here!” Laura replies immediately. “It’ll be too dangerous, and-and—”

“I’ve never said I’m gonna stay here, cupcake,” Carmilla says slowly, tilting her head as she watches Laura fretting by the counter. “I’m sure I could find some place out there to lay low in during reading week.”

“But then I wouldn’t know where you are! I wouldn’t be able to see you, or contact you, or, or check if you’ve done your homework and all!”

Carmilla rolls her eyes at this. 

“I appreciate the concern, buttercup, but really there is no need for you to fret. I’ll be fine.”

It is exactly at that moment that Laura’s brain _finally_ comes up with an idea. It is such a good and obvious alternative that Laura wonders why she took so long to think of it. Maybe she is just tired after all.

“Carm, I know!” she proclaims jubilantly, almost squealing in excitement.

Carmilla watches her warily. “…What?”

“You can just come home _with me_! My Dad wouldn’t mind the slightest, and then I’d be able to see you every day and make sure you’re okay!”

“For the record, _you_ were the suicidal one who decided to chase after an ancient and powerful vampire, cupcake; not me,” Carmilla mumbles. “So I really have some qualms about your idea on who is supposed to make sure the other is okay—”

“Oh, get over yourself, you were even more suicidal than me,” Laura waves her off impatiently. It’s true, after all—although Carmilla is usually the voice of reason to Laura’s sometimes-reckless enthusiasm and naivety, her whole business with retrieving the sword and leaping headfirst into Lophiiformes definitely lands higher in the ‘suicidal’ meter. Laura is still unable to grasp why exactly Carmilla was willing to go to such an extent, but she has her guesses. All of which causes a warm feeling in her chest, but she definitely shouldn’t be thinking about them now. What she should be thinking about is how to convince Carmilla to come home with her. 

“So, what do you say, Carm? You can stay in my room, and we can watch movies, and I can show you my old camera—oh, and I’m pretty sure I can get you some blood, too, from the nearby—”

“Sounds peachy, cupcake, but it’s not gonna happen.”

Laura certainly isn’t expecting this answer. She blinks. “Why? It’s the best idea we’ve got—”

“No, it’s in fact the _stupidest_ idea you’ve ever got.”

This time, Carmilla’s sharp tone takes her aback.

“I, I don’t…”

“You don’t have to do anything, cupcake. Bottom line, I won’t go anywhere with you this reading week. Not with any one of the Ginger Squad, either, or that half-wit puppy dog.”

Laura’s frustration begins to build. “But _why_?” she repeats pointedly before Carmilla can cut her again. “I don’t know if you’re just trying to be difficult or something, Carm, but honestly this is the best idea—”

“Oh, really? You honestly think towing me with you is a _good_ idea?!” Carmilla raises her voice, and Laura is really, really confused by her outburst. And a little hurt.

“Look, all I want is to make sure you have somewhere safe to stay during the Reading Week,” Laura forces herself to speak without raising her voice as well. “I care about you, Carm, you know that, right? I can’t just let you wander off somewhere during the entire break without knowing if you’re even _alive_!”

At this point, a vivid memory of the past few harrowing nights that Laura had spent believing Carmilla was dead suddenly resurfaces. Laura hears her voice crack at the last word, and suddenly there is a tightness in her throat.

Carmilla falls quiet at this, her face looking _slightly_ remorseful.

Laura takes that as a cue to bludgeon through. Steeling her voice, she demands, “So would you just _tell_ me what’s wrong? I’m sure we can figure something out if we talk it out… as always.”

Carmilla huffs, still refusing to answer. Laura doesn’t give up, though. She just keeps staring stubbornly at Carmilla, until finally the vampire shakes her head in defeat and looks up to meet Laura’s gaze. If Laura is only surprised to see how troubled Carmilla’s eyes are, her next words surely send her beyond surprised.

“Don’t you see?” Carmilla asks gravely, gesturing with her hand at the window. “Lophiiformes is still alive out there. As far as we know, my Mother might also still be alive inside it. If she could somehow get out, she’d definitely want to have her revenge after all we’ve done to her—and her first target would doubtlessly be me. I bashed her in the _face,_ Laura. If anything, my Mother holds her dignity highly. She wouldn’t forgive me after everything I’ve done, she’d want to punish me. So forgive me for not wanting to stay in your defenseless little house and wait for her to come and kill me!”

Laura’s lips parted as the weight of Carmilla’s words settle.

“You’re saying… Carm, are you saying that you’re worried the Dean would somehow rise from the dead to come and find you?”

“Not ‘worried.’ Know.”

“That’s, that’s just… no!” Laura shakes her head vehemently. _This is definitely not happening._ “I don’t care even if the Dean is still alive—I can’t just let you be chased around, alone, by some crazy old vampire with a grudge while I watch movies in my home! No, if that thing with the Dean is bound to happen, let it happen. You don’t have to run from her alone, we can face her together!”

Laura’s words seem to have rendered Carmilla speechless, and for a moment Laura thought she’s managed to convince her. Her hope is crushed, however, when she sees Carmilla’s dark eyes harden and she hisses furiously.

“You think it’s gonna make any difference whether we face her together or not? Deny it all you want, cupcake, but without the Blade of Hastur I’ll be dead meat if my Mother finds me! Besides, what makes you think you’ll be any good to me in a fight? You’ll just be a liability!”

Those words hit Laura like a slap. She knows it’s true—as a human, she is basically useless against vampires—but it still hurts to hear _Carmilla_ of all people calling her a liability. Seething with resentment, Laura narrows her eyes and attacks back.

“But we don’t even know for sure if your Mother is still alive! Even if she is, and if she really is dead-set on doing you harm, then your solution to that is by _running away_? Again?” Laura retorts. “After all we’ve been through, Carm, I really thought you would’ve gotten it by now that there’s no use running and hiding. If she really is alive, your Mother will still find you even if you run! And then you’ll still end up being a dead-meat, _and_ a coward!”

Carmilla’s eyes flash dangerously, and Laura stiffens when the vampire shoots to her feet and glares at her. Maybe she’s gone too far—Carmilla looks enraged.

“You think I didn’t know that?” Carmilla hisses. “I know running alone won’t do me any good, but at least it’ll distract my Mother from tearing you into pathetic shreds! Can’t you guess that that’s what would happen if she hunts me and finds the both of us at your house?!”

Laura blinks.

_So that’s what this is all about._

Carmilla almost fooled her. Behind all that talk about running and saving her own skin, lies the true motif of her seemingly selfish plan. Laura is sure Carmilla had no intention to tell her about it—she is glad she made the vampire angry enough to let it slip. 

Because Laura gets it now. Carmilla is planning to make herself a decoy, to distract the Dean from _her_.

_I should’ve known, you closet heroic vampire._

* * *

_This girl really doesn’t know how to survive in this world._

Carmilla clenches her fists, glaring furiously at Laura. She really shouldn’t have gotten so worked up over those jibes, but the words ‘run’ and ‘hide’ have somehow been particularly hurtful ever since… that time.

…Whatever. She’s said her piece. Laura has fallen quiet, seemingly mulling over what she’s said. Carmilla crosses her arms and sighs discreetly.

It doesn’t matter—no matter how many jibes and insults Laura throws her way, Carmilla has made her decision. She’s been horrified by the prospects ever since that gingerhead LaFontaine pointed out that Lophiiformes—and hence her Mother—is still alive. She knows her Mother would chase after her. Despite how much Carmilla longs to be with Laura, especially after her recent brush with death, she just can’t let Maman kill this tiny idiot.

Even if that means she would have to leave.

Carmilla’s dark eyes flick up when Laura opens her mouth to say something. 

* * *

_De ja vu._

There is no other word to describe this whole situation. It feels exactly like before—with the Dean's threat hanging over their heads and Carmilla having her own crazy, suicidal plan to try and save everyone _but_ herself. Laura swallows the lump in her throat. 

_And look at how it ended for her before._

_…Almost dead._

Laura feels tears pricking at the corners of her eyes at the memory of seeing Carmilla’s limp, motionless body as Danny carried her in. Laura has really thought she’s lost her—that she would never see Carm again, _ever_. The only person who never doubted Laura’s ability to take care of herself, the only person who never tried to stop her from doing things which are ‘too dangerous,’ and instead finds other ways to protect her. Always.

But it is exactly this tendency for silent, selfless heroics that’s making Laura tremble with fear. If she lets Carmilla go, she knows she might never see her again. The Dean would _kill_ her.

Carmilla might just wish to protect her life, but after going through those nights thinking the vampire was dead… Laura realizes she doesn’t want to go anywhere without Carmilla.

Taking a breath to steady her voice, Laura looks back up at Carmilla.

“I know what you’re doing, Carm,” she whispers. “Behind all those insults—I know you’re just trying to save my life again, as always.”

This takes Carmilla completely by surprise—she hasn’t thought Laura could see her true motif. But then again, this girl has always been a sharp one, Carmilla thinks in slight exasperation.

Laura continues. “But don’t you see? If you go by yourself, the Dean will eventually kill you. And all the while, I wouldn’t be able to see you, I might not even know if you’re dead—and I really don’t want that to happen, Carm, _please._ ”

This time, Carmilla is _terrified_ to hear the tremble in Laura’s voice.

“Do you know how it was like in the past few days for me? I really thought you were dead. I thought I would never be able to see you again, and it was _harrowing_. I can’t go through all that again, Carm, I really can’t." 

Carmilla opens her mouth to retort, but the look of fearful despair in Laura’s eyes takes her aback. She _hates_ that look. It has no business being in Laura’s bright, lively eyes, and Carmilla had quietly wished she would never have to see it again after their battle against her Mother. She really should’ve known better. Since when has Maman let her have what she wants, anyway?

She could hear her own voice starting to tremble, but Carmilla pushes through.

“Laura, look, I’m just trying to be logical here. The last time we faced my Mother, we barely survived—it was more luck than anything else. There is no guarantee we can be that lucky again if we have to face my Mother this time, and—”

"I know, but that doesn’t mean we have absolutely no chance against her if we face her together, Carm! You don’t have to run by yourself—”

“Yes, I do!” Carmilla replies harshly. “I’m sorry it has to be this way, Laura, I really, _really_ wish there’s another way. But there isn’t, and I just… I just can’t let you get involved in a fight none of us can survive!” 

“Oh, so it’s fine for _you_ to get involved in such a fight?!” Laura shouts in reply, her anger sparked by Carmilla’s disregard of her own life, a life Laura values so, so dearly.

“Yes!” Carmilla shouts back, further angering Laura.

“Now you’re not making any sense, Carmilla! You just said none of us could survive that fight, and yet here you are saying you’re going to throw yourself right into it! Don’t you realize how stupid that sounds?”

Laura walks over to stand right in front of the vampire, glaring as her frustration builds. She just _can’t_ fathom what’s going on behind those dark eyes. It all doesn’t make sense.

“Answer me, Carm. Why are you doing this?”

Carmilla growls, looking as though she is going to ignore her question—but Laura isn’t having any of that.

“Answer me, Carmilla! _You_ were the one who told me I knew nothing about what it takes to survive, so why does it look like it’s the other way around now? Listen to yourself—you’re planning to run off _by yourself,_ without any weapon, right towards a doomed battle! You’re turning yourself into a live bait, just to give _me_ a chance to live a little bit longer. Why!”

Carmilla clenches her fists, still refusing to answer.

“Carm!”

“…BECAUSE YOU DESERVE LIFE SO MUCH MORE THAN ME!”

Carmilla loses it—she hasn’t meant to shout at Laura, but the girl’s constant pressing has pushed her off the edge. Now that the stubborn girl finally takes a step back in shock upon her outburst, Carmilla feels a mild satisfaction.

But contrary to her expectation, Laura doesn’t run away from her. Seemingly without even thinking, the girl steps back close to Carmilla, her face devoid of any trace of fear from the vampire’s less than gentle outburst.

Approaching an unrestrained angry vampire—this girl really doesn’t know how to preserve her life.

_…And yet she still survives up till now,_ Carmilla’s conscience points out unwantedly. _For all your plan’s worth, she might still survive even if you stay with her._

Suddenly Carmilla just feels very, very tired. She shakes her head, stepping away from Laura and dropping herself to sit at the edge of the bed. She rests her elbows on her knees, keeping her head down to avoid Laura’s eyes.

The silence that follows is excruciating.

“I… I can’t let you die just like that, cupcake,” Carmilla finally continues softly. She still refuses to look at Laura, the girl whose life she has come to appreciate more than her own. “If I follow you home, I’ll just attract my Mother right to you. And… you don’t deserve to be involved in _that_. Whereas I’m—I’m a vampire, a lure, a kidnapper, a murderer—whatever you want to call me. I’ve played a part in everything we’ve suffered, and yet you still trust me. Someone like you… deserves better.”

Just a few months back, Carmilla wouldn’t even believe she could ever think this way. She had never met anyone she thought _deserves better._ She really didn’t care much about what happens to others. Even when she saved the girls her Mother targeted, she did it mostly to spite Maman, not because of any sympathy for the girls themselves. Carmilla had always had to go through endless dark times alone, so she barely had any room to wish others a better fate.

…Nor any chance to think that maybe _she_ deserved better.

All of that changed, however, the moment a naive child, who understands nothing about what it takes to survive in this world, said—

 "Hell, even _you_ deserve better.”

Carmilla’s eyes widen—she looks up before she could stop herself, staring right at Laura who is smiling hesitantly at her.

“…That’s what I said to you, Carm, back then when we were still new roommates. Remember that?”

Carmilla nods without a word.

_How could I forget? That was the first time I realized you weren’t like any other girls I’ve ever lured, cupcake. Or any person ever, for that matter._

_…Kindness so unconditional it’s almost stupid._

“And I’m saying it again to you now,” Laura shrugs. “Only, this time I think I’d omit the word ‘even.’”

Laura shifts closer to Carmilla and lowers herself to the floor next to her, placing a reassuring hand on the vampire’s knee as she searches her eyes.

“Listen to me, Carm: _we_ deserve better. I know you might have done terrible things in the past, but right now you aren’t going around kidnapping girls anymore, right? Hell, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t even be alive right now. Neither would half the Silas student body. So don’t ever say that you don’t deserve life as much as I do, Carm, because after all you’ve sacrificed to save me you sure as hell deserve it. The only one who should’ve been dead, is the Dean.”

Carmilla stares at her, and Laura wishes more than anything to be able to decipher the emotions swirling behind those deep, dark eyes. She thinks she glimpsed something akin to hope, so she quickly pushes through.

“So there is really no need for you to go facing doom by yourself. Like I said, if it is bound to happen, let it happen. But we can face it together, just like before—and maybe we’ll be lucky enough to survive again. Together.”

Laura reaches up tentatively to stroke Carmilla’s cheek.

“Because I’d much rather face the Dean one more time with you by my side, Carm, than living a long and peaceful life without any supernatural threats but also without you."

 

* * *

_…Goddammit._

She thought she’s steeled her resolve. She’s promised herself not to get sentimental over whatever Laura may say to discourage her from leaving. It’s just something she _has_ to do, to give Laura her chance to live. 

Heck care about her own.

Because Carmilla has never believed in life. It is just something she finds herself stuck in, after almost an entire century of wishing for death in that coffin. She never asked to survive. Surviving means she is just going back to be under Maman’s reign, something she never wished for after what the woman has done to Elle. However, at the same time she’s afraid that death would only bring endless wandering in the darkness, not much different from what she has experienced in that dreadful coffin. At least, when she’s alive she can watch the stars. She can watch the seasons change. She can watch all the beauty that she has forgotten during those decades in the dark. And… that’s all life and survival meant to her. 

So Carmilla has thought… If, _if_ she ever gets lucky enough to meet someone worth dying for, then she would gladly give her life up for that someone.

But _of course_ things would never be as simple as that, right?

Because beyond all reason and logic, Laura has made it very clear that she doesn’t want Carmilla to throw her life for her. She… she actually wants Carmilla _alive,_ with her _._

It is such a foreign concept, an anomaly in reality. Carmilla has never met anyone who wants to live in the company of a vampire, ever. But it _is_ the truth, and…

…And Carmilla realizes that she _does_ want to be with Laura, too.

Carmilla shakes her head slightly. Life has never had much appeal to her so far, but now with Laura in it… suddenly she doesn’t want to give it up. Even if that means she would have to take the risky step of staying with Laura and facing her Mother together, even if that means Laura may get killed along with her.

The vampire closes her eyes, almost groaning in frustration at how much this naïve, nosy girl has changed her centuries’ old perspectives and beliefs in the course of less than an hour.

She… realizes that she doesn’t want to die for Laura anymore.

She wants to _live_ for her.

A gentle smirk tugs at Carmilla’s lips, because she knows full-well that not dying is definitely much harder than dying. She seems to have a knack for choosing the most troublesome paths.

_Well, I guess I’ll just have to work double-time from now on,_ Carmilla muses. _Because now I’ve got two lives to watch over, both belonging to overly-sentimental idiots._

Still, that turns out to be a surprisingly pleasant thought.

Carmilla huffs, finally opening her eyes to gaze back into Laura’s. It is like staring into hope itself—in them Carmilla sees all the joy life has to offer.

But that doesn’t change the fact that she’d be putting Laura’s life in danger by following her home. She has to make sure one more time.

“…So you really aren’t scared of living under the threat of my Mother’s imminent arrival, cupcake? In your own house? Because that’s exactly what you’re going to get if you take me with you, y’know.”

To Carmilla’s puzzlement, Laura laughs at this. She watches in confusion as the tiny girl shakes her head, her chocolate-brown eyes looking right into Carmilla’s dark ones with affection.

“Throughout everything we’ve gone through, Carm, I’ve often been scared,” Laura says with a shrug. “I was scared when we had to re-enter the library, I was scared when LaFontaine got kidnapped, I was scared when we stood in that dark cavern facing your Mother and Lophiiformes… but you know what? Even though I was scared, I still felt _safe._ I felt safe, Carmilla, because I knew you were there with me. Sentient books, evil vampires, hungry Light—I don’t care how crazily powerful they are, I’ve always believed we’ll come through somehow. Because you were there with me.”

Laura reaches out to lace her fingers with Carmilla’s.

“So don’t ever think that leaving me alone would save me, Carm, because the truth is I would just be _more_ scared.”

Carmilla takes in a shaky breath, unable to stop the bittersweet smile from tugging at her lips.

_Goddammit, this girl surely can talk me into anything, can’t she?_

* * *

Laura holds her breath in apprehension, mildly worried by Carmilla’s prolonged silence. She hasn’t meant to sound clingy or needy, it is just how she honestly feels… but what if—

“…Fine, cupcake. You win.”

Laura looks up in surprise, half disbelieving her ears. She stares open-mouthed at Carmilla as the vampire shakes her head slightly and squeezes her hand back.

“I’ll follow you anywhere.”

The squeal of joy that Laura lets out almost blasted Carmilla’s eardrums, but it is nothing as compared to the bone-crushing hug that Carmilla suddenly finds herself trapped in.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Carm! I was so scared you wouldn’t listen to whatever I say, I thought I would never be able to convince you and I thought I would have to resort to—” 

And so Laura continues doing what she does best: rambling. Without even once loosening her death grip around Carmilla’s torso. The vampire finds herself not minding, though—she is still not quite used to this warmth, but… it isn’t necessarily a bad feeling.

If this is what she would get by sticking around, then Carmilla reckons it isn’t so bad after all. Something blooms in her chest, and for the first time in a _very_ long time, Carmilla actually feels _hopeful._  

* * *

What happens afterwards is slightly hazy for Carmilla—she’s in too much of a good mood to pay attention. Laura has declared that they have to go to sleep as soon as possible given how early they’ll need to leave tomorrow, but Carmilla couldn’t care less. She is too busy sneaking kisses on Laura’s lips whenever the girl pauses in her father-passed-to-daughter lecture on the dangers of inadequate sleep, and was about to lean in for another one when Laura stops her by holding her face in her hands.

Carmilla raises her eyebrows teasingly, struggling not to laugh as Laura stutters something along the lines of “stop that,” “cut it out,” and “we shouldn’t be doing this right now.” With her face as red as a traffic light, mind you.

“Carm, I’m serious,” Laura finally blurts out, stomping her foot in frustration as Carmilla gives up and breaks out laughing.

“All right, cupcake, all right. We can always continue tomorrow, right?” Carmilla relents, but adds a suggestive wink. 

Laura chooses to ignore it. “Y-yeah. It’s way more than enough for a day—now go and push your bed over, you lazy vampire.”

Carmilla hums, leaning back on her heels to walk away—but pauses when she realizes that Laura hasn’t let go of her face. She stares at the girl quizzically.

Laura isn’t moving. She is just standing there, looking absolutely torn as she stares at Carmilla with a conflicted expression. A snarky remark was already right at the tip of Carmilla’s tongue, but it never even comes close to being actually uttered because right at that moment, Laura just _lunges_ and seals their lips together.

Now that’s something Carmilla hasn’t been expecting.

_Well, well, well. So much for ‘cut it out.’_

Carmilla doesn’t protest though—she immediately kisses Laura back in earnest, smirking slightly when she hears the other girl whimper softly. When they separate, Laura’s face is even redder and she avoids looking at Carmilla.

Seeing that she is not going to get any voluntary explanation, Carmilla grins and crosses her arms. 

“Now _that’s_ what I call a sneak attack, cupcake,” she teases. “Who would’ve guessed that your entire lecture on ‘Let’s go to sleep ASAP’ was just a distraction?”

“Shut up, you. It wasn’t!” Laura swats her arm half-heartedly, fumbling over her words. “I… I just couldn’t stop myself, OK? And I thought one more wouldn’t hurt, so…”

Carmilla laughs, pulling Laura by the hand to give her a hug. She presses her lips against the top of Laura’s head affectionately, humming in contentment.

 “You’re too much sometimes, sweetheart.”

* * *

Ten minutes later, they are finally ready to sleep. Carmilla has pushed her bed next to Laura’s as requested, and is lying her head contentedly on the yellow pillow as Laura fumbles with the blanket. When Laura lies down next to her, however, a thought strikes her.

Carmilla mulls over it for a while, hesitating. She doesn’t know if it’s okay—

“You’re frowning, Carm."

Carmilla blinks, startled. Laura is gazing back at her curiously, her blanket pulled up to her chin. Even in the dim light, Carmilla can’t help but notice how utterly adorable she looks.

Carmilla shakes her head, smiling slightly. “Nah, it’s nothing.”

“Come on, I know something is going on in that head of yours! Just tell me.”

“I thought we were supposed to be sleeping?”

“Yeah, but pillow talks are always great in helping me to sleep.”

 Carmilla rolls her eyes. “It’s not exactly a bedtime story, you know." 

“I wouldn’t know if you don’t say it.”

Carmilla groans, knowing she is not getting out of this one. For the sake of her sleeping time, she just goes ahead and asks.

“You know when you said you feel safe whenever you’re with me? I was just curious… how can you feel that way? I’m a vampire, you know. The ‘undead fiend from the pits of hell,’ as you said. I may just decide to eat you one day if I’m hungry.”

 Laura laughs when she hears Carmilla’s question, but it isn’t because of the question per se. Rather, it is because she is pleasantly surprised that Carmilla remembers the things she said so well.

…Not that Laura doesn’t regret saying certain things to Carmilla.

 But those are for another time. Adjusting her position such that she can gaze right into the vampire’s eyes, Laura answers.

“Yeah, well, firstly I need to apologize for calling you that,” she begins. “I was being ignorant back then, and I’m really sorry. You’re so much more than that, Carm.”

Carmilla scoffs. “Gee, thanks. But you still haven’t answered me, cupcake.”

“I was wary of you at the beginning, of course, there’s no denying it! Why else would I have asked for help from Danny _and_ the Zetas if it wasn’t because I was scared?” Laura chuckles. “But then, as we go… I noticed that you never tried to hurt me. You never tried to break free from the ropes; you never tried to eat me despite the many opportunities you had; you never even as much as bared your fangs at me! Sure there was the exception of that time when you _actually_ bit me, but hey, I didn’t even get to see your fangs. And you just barely took a sip of my blood. So yeah, that incident is not counted! All in all, as a vampire I think you’re pretty much—“

“You’d better not say ‘tame.’”

“—useless,” Laura continues with a grin.

"Forgive my apparent ignorance on the modern usage of English, but what kind of linguistic evolution has taken place in the last century that made you believe 'useless' is a more positive adjective than 'tame'?”

Laura laughs that beautiful laughter that Carmilla can listen to all day. The vampire raises an eyebrow at the girl, but Laura just giggles and pulls her hand from underneath the blanket to pat Carmilla’s cheek good-naturedly.

“It’s not, actually. But you’re _my_ useless vampire, so it isn’t so bad.”

Carmilla groans. “You’re lucky I’m sleepy, otherwise I would’ve bitten your head off for that.”

“Except you wouldn’t,” Laura snickers, snuggling closer to Carmilla.

“Keep the temerity up, Hollis, and you might just find out for yourself.”

Laura laughs, but then adds more seriously, “Really, though. Despite everything evil that many seem to associate with vampires, I know _you_ have a kind heart, Carm. Being a vampire is definitely a part of you, but it’s not the entirety of who you are. I know how nice you can be.”

Carmilla doesn’t respond and just stares at Laura, but her eyes betray her surprise and gratitude. Unable to maintain the intensity of her gaze, Laura breaks into a shy grin.

“Uh, that’s just how I see you, of course. Again, I’m sorry for saying all those mean things to you, and for suspecting you of things you never did.”

Carmilla smiles slowly at this, her gaze softening.       

“As I said, don’t you worry your pretty little head over it, cupcake,” she whispers huskily.

Laura returns her smile, and for a moment they just lie contentedly next to each other, letting the haze of sleep wash over them.

However, right before Laura actually falls into sleep, Carmilla speaks up.

“…I’m sorry too, y’know.”

Laura opens her eyes, blinking a few times.

“For what?”

“For calling you a liability.”

Carmilla shifts, fixing the yellow pillow under her head. She then turns to look back into Laura’s eyes.

“You’re the strongest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing, so… you most certainly are not, and will never be, a liability to me.”

Laura smiles at this, shifting closer to Carmilla so that their foreheads meet. In the darkness of the room, she whispers, “I know you didn’t mean it, Carm, so don’t worry about it. Thanks, anyway—that’s really sweet of you.”

* * *

 Laura’s got to admit, they have never been exactly touchy feely with each other thus far. Carmilla has always had this aura about her which seems to promise intense suffering to those who wander too close, and even though Laura has become somewhat immune to it, she is still unsure if  Carmilla actually minds physical contact. Sure, Carmilla had ben the one to initiate the waltz, the kiss and had most certainly reacted in a very... favourable... way upon Laura kissing her; but Laura still isn't feeling 100% secure. Maybe around 70%. The feeling is quickly rising to 80% though, when Carmilla wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer. Laura happily obliges, burrowing her face into the crook of Carmilla's neck. She smiles softly when Carmilla hums in approval.

_Who would’ve thought a vampire could be this huggable?_ Laura thinks to herself as she snuggles even closer to Carmilla. ‘ _Dracula’_ might have mentioned that vampires’ skin is as cold as a corpse’s, but it turns out that Carmilla is really very warm.

Laura’s consciousness has just begun to dim when she suddenly remembers something. She musters all her college-born self-discipline to crack an eye open, gazing sleepily at Carmilla.

“…Carm?”

“Mmhhmm?” Carmilla mumbles without even opening her eyes.

“I just remembered something.”

Carmilla’s eyes open slowly. “What is it?”

“You still have to show me your fangs one day. Like, _really_ let me see them.”

Carmilla laughs.

“Behave yourself and I might just let you, cupcake. Definitely not now, though.”

“Yeah, sure, I’m too sleepy right now anywaaa…” 

Laura never gets to finish her sentence, because her eyes give up in staying open and she falls into the sleep realm right then. Beside her, Carmilla chuckles as she, too, lets sleep prevail.

 

* * *

_Silas University, Laura’s dorm room, an hour past midnight._

Carmilla’s eyes snap open in the darkness. She blinks a few times, fighting off the weight of sleep. Beside her, Laura is still blissfully asleep, pressed close against Carmilla’s side with one arm draped over the vampire’s waist.

_Dammit, I was just getting to sleep…_

Carmilla considers curling back in for a few more minutes, but she knows full well that she would never get anything done if she does that. No matter how tempting that idea is, she still has something more pressing to do.

Blinking a few more times to get her eyes adjusted to the dark—vampires have perfect vision even in low light—Carmilla listens to Laura’s breathing beside her. The girl seems to be fast asleep, judging from her deep and even breathing.

Once she is certain that Laura’s too far gone in dream land to be disturbed, Carmilla shifts and gently removes Laura’s arm from around her waist. She pauses to gauge the reaction—nothing—before slipping out of bed soundlessly. Laura mumbles something incoherent, but otherwise remains fast asleep.

_All right._

Without wasting any more time, Carmilla grabs her boots and tugs them on. She stretches to get the stiffness off her shoulders, then heads towards the door.

Despite everything, Carmilla has agreed to follow Laura to her home. In less than six hours, they would already have to set off. And while Carmilla has relatively no more qualms about it after Laura talks her into it, she still has one last unfinished business to take care of before they leave Silas in the morning.

Carmilla has learned from Laura that Will is dead; that the ginger twin Perry has somehow managed to stake him in the heart at the beginning of the battle at the Lustig. Carmilla has merely scoffed when Laura told her, claiming that she wasn’t surprised knowing Will’s incompetence. She paid the news no heed.

In truth, though… she _might_ have felt a tiny pang of loss.

Carmilla huffs, pinching the bridge of her nose. She is being a sentimental idiot again. In a way, she isn’t better than that incompetent idiot Will. Carmilla stands undecided in the dark for a moment, wondering if she should really just go back to sleep. 

She shouldn’t even bother at all. Will was _despicable_. While Carmilla wouldn’t deny that she enjoys the thrill of hunting and the satisfaction of feeding, she has never seen the need to torture her victims. Unlike Will.

Will hunted and killed in the most brutal way possible. He toyed with his food, pushed his victims to their limits only to laugh as despair overwhelmed them, then killed them once he was bored—simply because he liked it that way. He revelled in his superior strength and gave absolutely no mercy nor respect to his victims. He thought himself above humans, and treated them like trash.

And he always found ways to screw with Carmilla, either verbally or with deliberate actions. Most of them were just empty threats, of course—Carmilla is way stronger than Will to feel even remotely threatened by him. But dealing with him has always been vexing. Exasperating, even, when he chose really bad timing to give her trouble; such as when they were supposed to complete some elaborate task Maman gave them.

Carmilla can still remember the countless times they had butted heads, fangs bared, arms flexing and ready to tear each other into shreds. Hell, given the opportunity, she would’ve gladly taken Perry’s role and ended Will in that cave under the Lustig. He was a thug, an idiot, an immoral brute whose only joy was in following Maman’s orders in the goriest way possible.

He was definitely not someone Carmilla would spend her time and energy on.

But despite all of that… he was still the closest thing to a brother that Carmilla ever has.

Besides, unlike Maman, Will had never _actually_ hurt her. In fact, he has also suffered Maman’s harsh punishments at times. They both have. Carmilla has often found herself guarding the perimeters while Will crawled into a corner to heal his wounds after the punishments, and he had also repeatedly done the same for her. Sure, they made sure to throw insults and death wishes while guarding, but _those_ never hurt as much as the wounds.

…And there were also those rare times when they actually had _mild_ fun during their missions together.

At this thought, an uninvited memory suddenly flashes through Carmilla’s mind. It was night time—the moon was obscured behind a thick volume of clouds, and the earth was blanketed in darkness. She was standing with Will before a rogue vampire, both with their eyes narrowed and fangs bared, ready to rip the other vampire into pieces even as he spouted threats and insults at them. Will had his arms crossed, laughing deliberately when the rogue threw a particularly insulting jibe at Carmilla. Carmilla had rolled her eyes, telling Will that it was time to put an end to this nonsense. _About time,_ he had replied as he cracked his knuckles and smirked at her. And she, knowing the fun they were about to have, smirked back.

_…Goddammit._

Cursing inward, Carmilla forces herself to stop thinking about these worthless memories and quietly pulls the door open. Once outside, she sprints—heading straight towards the Lustig building.

 

* * *

_Silas University, caverns under the Lustig, a few hours past midnight._

The caverns are pitch-black, at least to human’s eyes. Carmilla clenches her jaws as she walks briskly through them, ears picking up on every small noise from the trickle of water on rock to the muffled scurrying of rats. The air isn’t as heavy as when she first stepped into this place, but that is to be expected given Lophiiformes’ defeat.

_Temporary defeat,_ she reminds herself.

God, what was she thinking? Who knows what might happen if she gets too close and her presence somehow reawakens Lophiiformes? She is definitely powerless now, without any sort of weapon in hand. For a few seconds, Carmilla seriously contemplates turning tail and just go back to the dorms. That stupid jerk Will definitely doesn’t worth risking so much, after all.

…But then again, nothing has happened so far. No rumbling, no tremor, nothing. Even though Carmilla was the one striking Lophiiformes, it doesn’t seem to be reacting in any way upon her intrusion to its lair.

Maybe it is still too weak after their battle to try anything funny.

…Or maybe it’s just the cupcake’s ridiculous optimism rubbing on Carmilla. She might never know, and she would only be wasting her time if she simply stands here hesitating.

Huffing almost in irritation, Carmilla proceeds to dash deeper into the caves, deciding that she would go as far as she deems safe. The moment she hears _any_ rumbling or feels _any_ tremor, she would be out of this damned place faster than Laura can ever say ‘hold on.’

Besides, it is exactly because shehates this place so much that she couldn’t bear to leave Will’s body to rot _here_.

 

* * *

When vampires die, their bodies do not decay. Instead, it will gradually turn into ashes if left in the dark, similar to a decaying human body. However, should the body be basked in direct sunlight, it would immediately turn into ashes.

Carmilla stops a few feet away from the lip of the pit, reluctant to get too close. She can still remember falling into that abyss, darkness and pain enveloping her throughout the seemingly endless fall. She narrows her eyes, trying to locate Will amidst the mess of rubble and several dead vampires near the edge of the chasm. Luckily, the Zetas haven’t bothered to push the vampire bodies into the pit when they were throwing those retarded cherry bombs back then.

…Although it would’ve meant less work for Carmilla if they had.

It is right at that moment that Carmilla finally locates Will’s body. He is lying face-down on the rocky ground, a stake protruding from his back. No wonder Perry managed to end him, Carmilla thought. The idiot was so absorbed in watching the sacrifice that he hadn’t noticed Perry and Laura sneaking behind him, before Perry drove the stake into his back and through his heart.

_Incompetent idiot as always._

Without wasting any more sentiments, Carmilla bends down and grabs Will’s arms, hauling him onto her back easily. She then leaves the caverns immediately without any backward glance. 

* * *

It is rather hard to climb to the roof of the Lustig building while carrying Will’s body on her back, but Carmilla manages anyway. Once she hauls herself onto the flat roof, she proceeds to drag the body towards the centre. She wouldn’t want any random students spotting it should they happened to look up from the courtyard in the morning.

_At least he didn’t suffer._

Carmilla’s face doesn’t betray any emotion as she finally takes a good look at Will. Given that not much time has passed since the battle, his body is still pretty much intact. He looks… well, like himself. Only unmoving. His expression isn’t that of pain, either—it is more of shock. He never saw what was coming. Carmilla reckons she prefers it that way. Gingerly, she reaches forward to close his eyes.

Done.

…There is nothing else she can do. When the sun rises in the morning, just a few hours from now, Will’s body would turn into ashes and scatter in the wind. She figures he would prefer it that way, as opposed to rotting in that damp, dark cavern.

Carmilla gets to her feet, the night breeze sending her raven hair fluttering. She turns to leave, but stops at the last second.

It still hasn’t felt enough.

Which is ridiculous—she owes Will literally nothing, and he definitely enjoyed screwing with her. He was a despicable thug at best.

…But this would be the last time she could see the despicable thug. After decades of living and serving together under Mother’s wing, this would be the last time Carmilla sees him. His had always been an annoying presence she couldn’t wait to get rid of, but he was still one of the very few constants she had in her life. Throughout the years, they had often been separated, depending on what job Maman had for each of them. But every time they part ways, Carmilla had always known—although often with disdain—that they would eventually see each other again when Maman calls them back.

_“See you around, Kitty,"_ Will would always say mockingly.

A rueful smirk tugs at Carmilla’s lips. Just this once… just this once, maybe she can afford some sentiments.

“See you in another life, you vicious idiot,” Carmilla whispers into the night. “Wherever you are, I hope you’re contentedly wreaking havoc now.”

And then she departs.


	2. Chapter 2

_Silas University, Laura’s dorm room, dawn._

“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod, I overslept! We overslept! No no no, what time is it?!”

Laura wakes up with a scream as she glances at the clock. Beside her, a grumbling vampire is burrowing her head under the yellow pillow, totally uncaring of the impending crisis.

"Wake up, Carm! Ugh, get up, you sleepyhead! We’re late!” Laura shakes her roommate in panic, scrambling off the bed and proceeds to fold her blanket hurriedly.

An indistinct mumble comes from underneath the yellow pillow, but there is no additional movement otherwise. Laura, no longer having the patience, snatches the pillow away from Carmilla.

A groan of terrible suffering.

“Stop it with the dramatics, you. We are _late._ For our Great Reading Week Escapade!”

“Cupcake, it’s only 5:30…”

“Yeah, but you haven’t packed your things! You said you were gonna wake up early this morning to do it! So get up, Carm, we’re late!”

“…Really, cupcake? You call waking up 30 minutes before our schedule ‘late’?”

“If you don’t move right now, and I mean _right_ now, I’ll never let you borrow my yellow pillow again!” Laura threatens.

Not that Carmilla ever felt the need to wait for her permission before stealing the yellow pillow. Regardless, her tantrum seems to be effective enough because Carmilla lets out a long groan, rubs her eyes and _finally_ gets off the bed.

“Don’t you know I only need five minutes tops to pack?” Carmilla grumbles, her voice huskier than usual with sleep. Laura would never admit it aloud, but she finds that voice… really attractive. Cute, even. In a non-creepy kind of way, of course. But wait—this isn’t the time to be thinking about such things.

“I know you’ve got super speed, Carm, but I honestly doubt anyone can pack _that_ fast,” Laura quips.

A faint smirk. 

“Wanna bet?”

 “Carmilla, come _on!_ We’re really late!”

 Carmilla huffs exasperatedly. “ _Fine_. But only because I don’t want you getting aneurysm over something we don’t even have the need to worry about anyway.”

With that, Carmilla walks over to the wardrobe, throws the doors open, grabs her clothes and proceeds to dump them in her duffel bag. Laura hasn’t even finished pushing her blanket and yellow pillow into a huge travelling bag when Carmilla concludes her ‘packing’ by transferring her blood containers from the counter into her bag. When Laura looks up, Carmilla stares back at her smugly.

Laura gapes.

“That’s it?” she asks incredulously. “You don’t… you don’t even bring any textbooks!”

Carmilla raises an eyebrow. “I have no need of them to survive.”

“But how are you going to study during Reading Week?!” Laura demands, absolutely horrified.

“Cupcake,” Carmilla says slowly with exaggerated patience. “I've studied the same textbooks over and over again in the last decade. Missing out on one reading week wouldn’t kill my ancient intelligence, y’know.”

Laura opens her mouth to protest, but then again she realizes Carmilla never seemed to struggle with her studies anyway. Okay, maybe ‘struggle’ isn’t the most accurate word to use… it’s more like, ‘bother.’ Either way, the end result is similar. Besides, arguing with Carmilla—as Laura has often learned the hard way—would only result in an endless barrage of snark that would only serve in wasting their time. Shaking her head, Laura marches hurriedly into the bathroom to take a shower.

“All right, fine, Carm! Whatever you say. Since you finished ‘packing’ so soon, can you help me force my yellow pillow into the bag?”

A satisfied smirk.

“No problem, cutie.” 

* * *

 

Laura manages to have a few minutes pondering over the emptiness of their dorm room uninterrupted while Carmilla showers. She looks at the empty walls, the missing table lamps, the barren beds and counter. After everything they’ve gone through in this place, suddenly she feels rather sad that they would have to leave it, without even knowing if they could ever come back.

As her mind wanders, Laura’s gaze inadvertently falls on Carmilla’s duffel bag resting on her bed. Compared to Laura’s army of bags and boxes, Carmilla’s luggage is practically nothing.

A sudden thought strikes her.

_…How many times has Carm experienced having to pack up and leave this place, I wonder?_

Given the vampire’s complete nonchalance and ease in packing, apparently it’s been quite a few times.

Laura isn’t sure why, but she feels sad thinking about it. Is that why Carmilla never kept many things with her? In her long life, she must have realized how ephemeral things are, how quickly they can be gone. A home, a school, an only friend… everything can disappear in a blink. Maybe that’s why Carmilla only ever kept the most essential things with her and refuses to waste her attention on the rest.

Maybe that’s why she can be such a callous prick to others, too.Despite her youthful looks, Carmilla is essentially an ancient being. She has seen countless civilisations, people of all ages, going through their lives and at the end passing away. Probably she’s realized that it’s not worth it to fuss over small details in social life, because humans die fast anyway. No matter how rude she is to them, soon it wouldn’t matter anymore. 

Laura certainly has some qualms regarding this perspective, but she wouldn’t judge Carmilla. The vampire has done terrible things, undoubtedly, but… is it wrong for Laura to think that Carmilla is not essentially a bad person?  

…Because when you’ve lived for more than 300 years, you’d sure have a very different perspective on life and its priorities. 

* * *

 

“All right, cupcake, is that all?” Carmilla asks as she kicks their room’s door to open it wider. The vampire, wearing her usual leather pants and black top, is loaded with mostly Laura’s bags plus her own duffel bag—and yet she doesn’t seem to be struggling at all. Another perk of having a vampire as a roommate, Laura thinks in relief as she hauls her rucksack onto her shoulders.

“Yep, that’s all!” she replies somewhat breathlessly as Carmilla holds the door open for her. Geez, she can’t believe her laptop and camera can weigh this much. Then again, there are textbooks in the bag as well, along with the thick Sumerian tome, so maybe that’s why.

“No sappy good-byes for the room?”

Laura turns around to glance at their dorm room for the last time. It is almost unrecognizable now, in its emptiness. But to be honest, everything that makes this room so significant to her… is standing right beside her.

Laura smiles at this thought. She shakes her head, watching as Carmilla slams the door closed and adjusts the strap of the bag around her shoulders.

“All right. After you, buttercup.”

“Wait, just one question,” Laura says suddenly. Carmilla raises her eyebrows.

“Yes?”

“How many times have you had to leave this room over the last century?”

Carmilla doesn’t answer immediately—she looks at Laura for a while, as if she didn’t expect to get this question. The vampire quickly collects herself, though, and gives Laura a small smile. 

“If you wanted to ask me how many girls I’ve lured, cupcake, you could’ve just asked it directly.”

“What? No! That’s not what I mean! I’m just… just curious. I mean, I figured you must have had to do this quite a few times by now, so I was just wondering how it feels—”

“Relax, sweetheart. Was just joking there.”

Laura narrows her eyes. _Of course._ “So?”

“Eh, it’s not a big deal. I honestly don’t bother to remember the exact count, and I’ve never had any sentimental attachment to this place anyway,” Carmilla shrugs, which Laura finds to be quite an admirable feat given how heavily her shoulders are loaded. “I _hate_ this place, cupcake.”

Laura couldn’t help but laugh at this, because Carmilla _has_ repeatedly grumbled about how much she hates the place. Sounds fair enough.

“Well, I hope you’d like my place better, then,” she giggles.

“Oh, I’m sure I will,” the vampire replies immediately, throwing Laura a teasing sidelong glance.

* * *

 

_Silas University exterior, early morning._

“Thanks, Carm,” Laura says breathlessly as Carmilla helps her store her numerous bags at the backseat of LaFontaine’s car. They are all ready to leave Silas, Danny waiting for her parents’ arrival while Kirsch is forcing a few more things into his loaded car trunk. LaF and Perry are discussing the weather forecast, which predicts some snow by nightfall.

Danny has repeatedly reminded Laura to give her a call once she reached home safely, and to text her anytime if she finds herself in trouble. When LaF points out that there isn’t much Danny could do from across the state, the tall T.A narrows her eyes and says with absolute conviction that she would find a way. With that look and her looming stature, Laura doesn’t doubt her words at all. Smiling, she assures Danny that she would give her a call, and yes, she would text her if she gets into any trouble. Not that she is expecting any incidents, though. There hasn’t been any new tremor shaking Silas’ grounds, and Carmilla has said that the Light may need some time to recover after its recent conference with the Blade of Hastur. Even with that, they still can’t afford to waste any more time in fleeing.

Still throwing reassurances at Danny and Kirsch—who has also offered to fly straight to Laura’s at the first sign of trouble—Laura dumps her last bag onto the backseat of LaFontaine’s car. It is then that she notices a huge problem.

Perry is already seated in the backseat, and all around her are suitcases and bags containing her and Laura’s possessions. A quick peek at the trunk presents Laura with the sight of LaFontaine’s luggage filling it to the brim. Biting her lips nervously, Laura turns to LaF as they climb into the driver’s seat.

“Uh… LaF? I don’t think there’s any more space back here for another passenger.”

“Huh, really? But you can always take the front seat, right Laura?”

“But what about Carm?” Laura asks, glancing at Carmilla who’s just lurking quietly beside her. The vampire rolls her eyes as LaFontaine slap their own forehead.

“Darn it, gosh, sorry Laura. I totally forgot! I thought it would just be the three of us like usual…”

 “Maybe we can try squeezing her in?” Perry suggests quickly, trying to move some of the luggage to create more space. It is no good, though. The backseat is completely packed.

“Well, there is that space _under_ the backseat if Carmilla doesn’t mind…”

Laura’s eyes narrow upon hearing this suggestion from LaF. She eyes the dark space between the backseat and the front seats critically, trying to imagine Carmilla lying down there throughout the drive. She shakes her head almost immediately.

“Nope, I don’t think so. It’ll be too uncomfortable, especially when the car starts moving.”

“Otherwise she can, maybe, balance herself on the top of the car?”

“What?! That’s even more ridiculous, LaFontaine! She’s a vampire, not a lizard,” Perry screeches.

“I’m just trying to offer suggestions,” LaFontaine smiles sheepishly. “Reckon we shouldn’t waste too much time here. Look, Danny’s parents’ arrived—we should get moving.”

Laura furrows her brows anxiously, her brain spinning for a solution even as she waves goodbye to Danny. Kirsch is pulling out too, his tiny junk of a car looking like it almost explodes with the amount of things he brings along. He waves at them, and Laura returns it immediately.

“That’s right, you know,” Carmilla’s bored voice pulls Laura back. “We should stop wasting time.”

“But we don’t even know how we are going to fit you inside the car—!”

“Oh, don’t _you_?”

Laura slaps Carmilla’s arm. “Stop it with the smug face. You have any idea as to how you can fit comfortably under the backseat?”

“That’s right. Should’ve asked _me_ sooner right? Would’ve spared you all the headache, cupcake.”

With a lazy smirk, Carmilla drops her bag on top of the pile beside Perry. She then proceeds to _lunge_ headfirst into the car—eliciting a surprised cry from Laura—before a thick black smoke billows. When it disperses, a giant black cat is already curling at the space between the backseat and the front seats. 

LaFontaine laughs. “Well, _that_ solves everything.”

“That works too,” Perry acknowledges, moving her feet experimentally to make sure she wouldn’t kick Carmilla accidentally.

Laura, meanwhile, is indignant.

“Oooh, sure, just jump into the tiny dark space dramatically in the midst of smoke! There’s absolutely no way you could’ve told us your plan without theatrics, right?”

A lazy tail flick is all she gets as a reply, though.

Rolling her eyes, Laura walks around the car to take the front seat, beside the still chuckling LaFontaine. 334 years-old or not, this vampire certainly has some serious attitude issues.

After Laura has put on her seat belt, LaFontaine starts to drive their car out of Silas grounds. Everyone is silent as the car passes through the dorms area. As they drive past the Lustig building however, the giant black cat’s eyes silently flick up towards the roof.

It is bathed in sunlight.

* * *

  _Random secluded highway, Styria, night._

“I still can’t believe we’re running away from college,” LaFontaine notes almost absentmindedly as they drive with one hand along the dark road flanked on both sides by great rows of trees. Their car’s headlights are the only illumination, considering that the moonlight barely filters through the trees. Night has fallen since a while ago, and with it comes the snow. It isn’t heavy, but enough to force LaFontaine into slowing the car down a little bit.

“This isn’t running away, sweetheart, we are just off for a slightly-altered reading week arrangement,” Perry quips immediately.

“Yeah, well, in normal reading weeks we don’t usually have to cram four people into my tiny car and drive through unfamiliar roads to avoid pursuit, Perr.”

Perry falls into a sulking silence at LaFontaine’s retort, and LaF snickers.

“Speaking of which, how is our vampire stowaway doing down there?”

A distinctly annoyed growl from the darkness beneath the backseat answers them before Perry could even open her mouth.

“Peachy, I see,” LaF grins.

Laura giggles, but she still turns around to check on Carmilla. Sure, Carmilla has told her that vampires don’t suffer from lower back pain—but still. There is no way it could be comfortable being stuck in the dark without even an inch to move like that.

In the darkness of the vehicle Laura could only make out the shape of Carmilla’s back and tail, nothing more. She frowns absentmindedly.

“Uh, so, how are you _really_ doing, Carm? Seems like it’s a really tight squeeze for you there.”

Something twitches at the corner nearest to the car door, something that Laura realizes was Carmilla’s ear. Smiling a little, Laura reaches out to poke the giant black cat’s flank.

“Are you even still alive, Great Bagheera?”

Another muffled growl.

LaF glances back too, and whistles in sympathy. “I don’t envy you, Carmilla. You’re totally in a tight place.”

“I wonder if we can do anything to give her some more space…” Perry says quietly, attempting to move her seat backwards a little more but to no avail.

“Oh, I know!” LaF suddenly says excitedly, making Perry jump a little.

“What?” Laura asks.

Jerking their thumb in the general direction of Carmilla, LaF continues, “Well, we can just let her out for a while! She can run beside our car as we drive, stretch some of those stiff muscles, y’know? Just like that huge Golden Retriever Perry’s cousin owned a while back, right Perr?”

“Ooh, yes! I remember that’s what we always did whenever we took that dog out for a long car ride—”

An approving-sounding growl resonates from underneath the backseat, while Laura is still mildly amazed by how fast LaFontaine and Perry can turn this epic runaway mission into a road trip with an oversized pet. A demanding tapping sound of a paw against the car door brings her back to reality, though. She frowns a little. 

“But it’s snowing outside… are you sure you’re gonna be okay, Carm?”

Although Laura can’t see the cat’s head, she is willing to bet her precious camera that Carmilla is rolling her eyes. Another impatient tap and Laura sighs.

“Oh, all right. Pull over for a sec, LaF.”

“My pleasure,” LaFontaine grins and does as told, unlocking the doors. Perry lifts her legs onto the backseat carefully, before opening the car door.

Immediately a huge, sleek black shadow of a cat spills onto the road as Carmilla eagerly crawls out of her confined space. Once outside, she rises to her full height, and for a second Laura wonders how the hell she even managed to squeeze herself into that tiny space earlier. Standing on all fours, Carmilla’s head is at the level of Laura’s car window. This is the first time Laura could get a clear look at Carmilla’s giant black cat form, and she is mildly amazed. 

Carmilla is a cat indeed—all aloof grace and svelte build, with shiny jet-black fur adding to her lean form. Given her size, Laura has thought Carmilla might be more of a panther than a cat, but this thought is quickly banished when Laura observes her face. From what she has seen of panthers during her Google Image research, she notes that they have rather bulbous face, with rounded ears and stocky build. Carmilla, however, is simply a much larger version of a black cat. Her face is angular and sharp, with pointy ears and a more slender build characteristic to the feline. This is certainly more appealing to Laura—she has always liked cats, although she never had the chance to own one.

The giant black cat turns her head to look at Laura, and Laura can’t help but smile as she sees those familiar dark eyes gazing lazily at her.

Laura rolls her window down and reaches out. Carmilla doesn’t shy away, so she proceeds to tentatively stroke the giant black cat’s cheek. The first thing she notices is how soft Carmilla’s fur is, but immediately afterwards Laura also notices the cold wind biting her hand. Snow is falling soundlessly onto Carmilla’s fur, the white snowflakes a sharp contrast to the black.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay?” Laura asks hesitantly. “It’s really cold out here, so if maybe you need a jacket or—”

 A wide, deliberate yawn that shows off a rather impressive set of fangs interrupts her. Laura purses her lips, only to be replied with an amused eye-roll from the giant black cat. She can almost hear her say, _Cupcake, you’re ridiculous. I’m a vampire, remember?_

Huffing, Laura leans back and fixes the cat with what she hopes is a stern glare.

“Just… be careful out there, okay? Stay in our sight!” Laura says, raising her voice as LaFontaine resumes driving. She doesn’t have much to worry, though, because the giant black cat immediately falls into step beside their car, effortlessly loping in a relaxed pace. Laura smiles softly at this sight.

“Thanks for the idea, LaF. Carmilla seems glad.”

“Hey, no problem,” LaFontaine replies, winking at Laura. “Feels like taking one of those safaris in Africa now, doesn’t it?”

Perry scoffs, but Laura couldn’t help but laugh. This is truly the weirdest reading week ever.

* * *

_Feels like old times._

Carmilla leaps easily over a fallen tree blocking her way, muscle memory and swift reflexes aiding her in navigating the forest floor. It’s been a while since she’s had the pleasure of simply running outdoors in her giant black cat form like this. She most definitely prefers this than lying still in that tiny junk of a car.

At this point, the giant black cat’s dark eyes flick to the right, noting the car’s slow progress on the road beside her. Had they been on an open highway in summer, she might have had some trouble keeping up. But with this snow, the car is forced to a low speed, one Carmilla has no trouble keeping up with despite her having to run through the forest.

The car isn’t exactly the reason for Carmilla’s frequent glancing, though. She could’ve determined its position easily enough from the engine sound. No, the real reason she keeps glancing… is because Laura keeps looking at her direction through the car window.

Carmilla scoffs. With those human eyes, there’s no way the tiny creampuff can see her in this darkness. Carmilla makes a point, therefore, to run at the edge of the forest such that Laura can still see flashes of her form through the shadows. She must have lingered in the darkness a little too long this time, though, for she sees Laura’s eyebrows furrowing slightly as those chocolate-brown eyes dart around in their effort to spot her. Rolling her eyes in slight annoyance, Carmilla trots to the right to avoid a bunch of bushes and at the same time showing her form to the creampuff. The moment she is out of the shadows, she sees Laura’s frown disappearing.

Carmilla keeps her eyes forward and canters slightly faster.

It feels strange, really.

Carmilla has never had to take so much care in showing her presence to someone else before. Usually she would just slip into the night, silent and unnoticed, without anyone to even say goodbye to. But now… troublesome as it is, Carmilla finds that she doesn’t really mind having to repeatedly leave the comfort of the shadows to show Laura that she’s still there.

Knowing that someone _doesn’t_ want her to disappear into the shadows… is a pleasantly welcome thought, albeit a novel one at that.

* * *

Their GPS shows a town lying ahead, and Perry is ecstatic at the prospect of spending the night in a proper bed. Laura shares her spirits—she too longs to stretch her legs on a nice, warm mattress. LaF mentions something about supper, prompting Perry to start budgeting the limited amount of money they have brought.

The only problem, though, is that the road they are currently driving through leads to the top of a hill and then only from there transforms into a tiny path leading downhill into the town. There is no way they can drive their car through that path, hence—much to Perry’s disapproval—they decide that they would take the narrow path on foot.

“Don’t worry so much, Perr, I bet there wouldn’t be a single sane person out in this weather, muggers or not,” LaFontaine says confidently to Perry. The floor don still doesn’t look impressed, though, so LaF continues. “Besides, Laura here has a full packet of bear sprays! We can definitely use them if something happen. ‘If,’ y’know.”

“Well, but walking in the dark itself is dangerous! There might be slippery rocks, or thorny bushes, or-or snakes, even!”

Laura almost cringes at the thought of snakes, but she puts on a calm face for Perry.

“I really don’t think there would be snakes around, Perry. Besides, Carm will be around! She can definitely smell or hear or whatever if there are any creepy-crawlies approaching us.”

“Problem is, I’m not sure if she would actually _bother_ to warn us.”

Laura shoots LaF a warning glare, mouthing ‘not helping.’ LaF holds back their laughter, turning their attention back to Perry.

“Come on, Perr, it’s either walking for a short while or spending the whole night in this car!”

The idea of having to spend the whole night in the dark, cramped car seems to be the more appalling one to Perry, so she finally nods with a sigh.

“All right, all right. We’ll walk. But we _must_ walk hand in hand so as to prevent tripping over rocks or getting lost!”

“Absolutely,” LaF grins and finally drives the car towards the top of the hill where the road ceases. From this vantage point, Laura could see the lights of the houses flickering at the foot of the hill below them.

LaFontaine makes a turn to park their car under the shadows of a bunch of trees, and Laura catches a glimpse of the giant black cat’s silhouette against the night sky. The cat is sitting silently on its haunches, waiting for them. Once their car is parked and Laura’s door clicks open, it rises lazily and saunters towards her.

Laura gets out of the car and slams the door shut, turning around right to see Carmilla shifting back to her human form. One second there was a giant black cat before her, the next second a thick black smoke erupts and there Carmilla is. Laura’s smile automatically spreads upon seeing her face.

“Told you I’ll be fine, cupcake,” Carmilla scoffs, smirking at her slightly.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly standard road safety procedure, so forgive me for worrying,” Laura replies, reaching out to brush the snow off Carmilla’s hair.

“Oh, wow, cool. Hypothermia doesn’t affect vampires?” LaF asks in awe the moment they appear from the other side of the car.

Carmilla replies with a shrug. “Not even an itch. Now why don’t we get moving? We’re heading for that shambles of a town down there, right?”

“Righty-o.”

Carmilla turns wordlessly towards the narrow path and Laura has just made to follow her when Perry’s indignant voice suddenly rings out, making her jump in surprise.

“No, no, no, NO!”

Laura and LaFontaine turn to look at her questioningly; Carmilla only raises an eyebrow.

Pointing at Carmilla in her black shirt and leather pants, Perry shakes her head disapprovingly. “There is no way you’re going to saunter into town dressed like _that,_ Carmilla. What would the townsfolk think, when they see you walking around in the snow without even a single layer of jacket?!”

Laura’s mouth forms an ‘O’ while LaFontaine hums approvingly.

“…Fair point,” Carmilla says in resignation after a moment of thinking it over.

“Of course,” Perry barks, opening the car door again to retrieve a black winter coat from the luggage. “Here you go, you can use this spare one for now.”

Carmilla accepts the coat and wears it nonchalantly. She raises her eyebrows at Perry, who gives her the once-over before nodding her approval. Without another word, Carmilla starts walking towards the town, Laura happily falling into step beside her.

* * *

  _The mayor’s office, unknown town, night._

“And so we had no choice but to leave the campus and drive as far away as we could, hoping we could find help in the nearest town…”

Carmilla stands silently, leaning on the left wall of the office room with her arms crossed as she disinterestedly listens to Laura and Ginger #2 explaining their situation to the town’s mayor. Ginger#1 is standing a little further from them, curiously eyeing the mayor’s collection of preserved reptiles in jars. The mayor—a fat, middle-aged man with beady eyes and cheeks like a bulldog’s—is nodding attentively at every word Laura says.

Carmilla’s dark eyes narrow suspiciously. For some reason, watching the mayor listening to Laura with what she deems as an unnecessary degree of attentiveness rouses a prickling pain in her jaws—something that would only indicate that her fangs are itching to come out. Carmilla clenches her jaws carefully. There doesn’t seem to be anything to be wary of, as of now… the mayor, as disgusting-looking as he is, doesn’t seem to be armed nor threatening in the slightest. Besides, he is their only chance of scoring a place to spend the night in with a decent bed. She really shouldn’t just leap and attack him, no matter how much she hates his round, oily face. Ignoring the prickling sensation, Carmilla locks her jaw and wills her fangs to stay in.

“Of course, ladies, of course, it’s nothing to worry about. It will be my pleasure to provide shelter for all of you,” the mayor’s voice rings out, snapping Carmilla out of her reverie.

_Final-goddamn-ly,_ Carmilla thinks as she pushes herself off the wall. Now that this idiot has finally adjusted his brain enough to understand their situation, he can hurry up and give them a room to—

“It is right, I presume, for me to understand that no one actually knows you ladies are here?”

Carmilla rises an eyebrow.

_Okay, what does this imbecile mean by that? If we don’t even know where we are, how the hell could others magically know it?_

“That’s right, sir! As we have explained, our situation forced us to leave the campus in a real hurry and we had to take unfamiliar roads,” Laura answers cheerfully, obviously already imagining warm beds and hot food.

“…I see. You girls couldn’t even call your parents or relatives to alert them as to your whereabouts?”

“No, sir. Our phones barely had any connection out here, especially in this weather,” Ginger#2 answers, while Carmilla rolls her eyes at the mayor’s continuing enquiries.

“Speaking of which, we would be really grateful if you can provide us with accommodation now… we are kind of really tired,” Laura timidly reminds the mayor.

_That’s the way, cupcake,_ Carmilla smirks to herself. _Tell this airhead of a mayor to hurry up and skip all the pleasantries. We only want a decent bed to sleep in, thank you very much._

“Ah, yes, yes, of course. However, since I am providing all of this for free, I believe it is not too much for me to say that I have done you girls a huge favour.”

_Seriously? Laura said ‘thanks’ a million times already, you conceited idiot. If you don’t hurry up I’ll—_

“…So in that case, I believe it natural for me to expect some _favours_ back in return.”

Carmilla’s eyes widen slightly at this. The way he said ‘favours’…

The cupcake seems unbothered though, as she laughs and replies, “Of course, Sir! We’ll gladly help out if you need us for anything. We can hardly repay your kindness.”

Carmilla’s suspicion is rising sharply as she perceives the glint passing through the mayor’s disgusting little eyes when Laura said ‘if you need us for anything.’

_He couldn’t be…_

“Excellent!” the man bellows in satisfaction, shaking Laura’s hand as if to seal a deal. Carmilla might not have minded if this is simply a welcoming gesture before they are offered their long-awaited accommodation, but the way the mayor holds Laura’s hand much longer than necessary alarms her. Meanwhile, the mayor has proceeded to raise his other hand to pat Laura’s in what he might think as an attempt on reassurance, but only serves to make Carmilla all the more on edge.

It wasn’t until the mayor’s cunning eyes dip to somewhere below Laura’s waist level that Carmilla’s horrified suspicion is finally confirmed.

“I’ll show you to your room now, young ladies. Remember that _favour_ you promised me, however—I may ask for it earlier than you may have expected.”

He smiles lewdly, and Laura must have noticed something is off too, for she attempts to pull her hand back.

The mayor doesn’t let her go, though. Carmilla bristles.

_Take your filthy hand off her right now, you lecherous trash!_

* * *

If Laura didn’t have any misgivings regarding the mayor before, she sure as hell feels rather uncomfortable now beneath the mayor’s strangely—hungry?—stare. And he _still_ hasn’t let go of her hand. Weird dude.

Laura still smiles politely, though, thinking of sleep and food as she gently tries to pull her hand back from the mayor’s grip. Sure, his questions might be a little bit intrusive—bordering on creepy even, what with his apparent interest in them being all alone and disconnected—but he might just be worried for them for all she knows. He has been kind enough to actually offer them a room to stay, and he only asked to have some favour back—

Laura freezes.

_Okay, so I may not have properly asked what the favour he expects is…_

“I’ll show you to your room now, young ladies. Remember that _favour_ you promised me, however—I may ask for it earlier than you may have expected.”

At this point, Laura suddenly notices his lewd eyes on her.

_No way._

Laura yanks her hand back with alarm, her fists rising as she prepares her krav maga techniques.

_Hit his throat then move back—_

Laura doesn’t get to do anything, however, because right at that moment something rushes by her—and then the mayor _screams._

Laura, Perry and LaFontaine watch, horrified, as a _very_ angry vampire suddenly crashes furiously into the mayor, sending him tumbling and flailing. Carmilla is beyond enraged—she pins the mayor down mercilessly against his desk, her fangs brandished—

“Carmilla!” Laura calls out in shock, Perry screaming beside her as LaFontaine curses and dashes towards them.

The mayor sees Carmilla’s fangs and is now screaming in pure fear—he flails his arms in panic, but Carmilla only growls and lunges forward, ready to tear the jugular of this disgusting, lewd—

“Carmilla, stop it!”

Carmilla’s fangs were only inches from the mayor’s throat, but she freezes when she hears that voice and feels tiny hands tugging at the back of her shirt. Laura is struggling with all her might to pull her back, and Carmilla is stunned into inaction.

It is just a moment’s distraction, but enough for LaFontaine and Perry to grab her arms and drag her away from the wheezing, whimpering mayor. Carmilla protests loudly, struggling half-heartedly to break free from their grip. She can’t use her full vampire strength on these two—she might accidentally rip their arms off and something tells her Laura wouldn’t be too happy if that were to happen.

“What is wrong with you, Carmilla?!” Perry grunts as she holds Carmilla’s right arm down. LaFontaine is struggling with her left, while Laura pulls at her shirt from behind.

“What’s wrong with _me_?! What’s wrong with _you idiots,_ didn’t you see the way this trash was looking at—”

A sudden scream from the office door startles everyone, and they turn automatically towards the door.

The mayor’s assistant is standing frozen at the door, staring at the scene before him with his mouth wide open. He takes one look at Carmilla—screams again—then turns tail and runs as fast as he could, shouting a verbal vomit of ‘vampire,’ ‘demon,’ and ‘murderers.’

Laura, LaFontaine and Perry wordlessly turn to look at Carmilla.

…Who is still staring murderously at the mayor, her fangs on full display.

Laura groans. LaFontaine is about to say something as they finally get a firm grip around Carmilla’s arm, but the sounds of a crowd gathering outside the building cuts them off. Wide-eyed, Perry peeks through the window—and shrieks hysterically.

“There is an angry mob carrying _torches_ right out there!”

“What the—we’d better bolt!” Laura hisses urgently, letting go of Carmilla’s shirt.

“Holy crap, they’ve got pitchforks too?” LaF asks incredulously as they let go of Carmilla as well to steal a peek at the window. Laura can’t respond however, as she grabs her vampire by the hand and dashes out of the back door, Perry hot on her heels.

* * *

  _Hill slope by the unknown town, night._

 

_This is ridiculous._

Carmilla clenches her jaws in irritation, cursing softly as she vaults over a fence blocking their way. Laura takes a little longer to get over the fence, and Carmilla subconsciously slows down to let the girl catch up to her side. The ginger twins are running ahead of them, sprinting frantically up the slope to where their car is parked. The angry shouts of the mob can be heard clearly through the crisp night air, the snow having ceased a while ago.

“I feel like we are somehow trapped in a witch hunt!” Carmilla hears Ginger#1 breathlessly muttering to Ginger#2 as they run. “And I thought that trend ended in the 1700s.”

Carmilla rolls her eyes.

_Well yeah, I’ve had my fair share of that crap back in the 1720s. Complete whackjobs running around brandishing pathetic weapons, ridiculously terrified of things they don’t understand…_

“They are getting closer!” Ginger#2 gasps as the shouts and threats from the angry mob behind them get louder. They can even already see the lights of the torches if they glance back.

“If you guys would just let me _take care_ of them—” Carmilla begins, but is immediately cut off by Laura who manages to slap her shoulder in between gasping for air.

“Yeah, see how well you ‘took care’ of the mayor back there,” Laura says sarcastically. “What the hell was wrong with you, Carm? We wouldn’t be chased by an angry mob with torches and pitchforks had you not tried to decapitate—”

“If I hadn’t tried to decapitate that disgusting slob, we would all be trapped somewhere in his basement until we give him some ‘favour’ by now,” Carmilla hisses back.

“We don’t even know if he really—”

“All of you, can we _please_ stop arguing for a minute and concentrate on running?” Ginger#2 suddenly screeches from ahead, her panicked face flashing them a warning look.

“Yeah, ‘cause if we keep at this velocity, I’m pretty sure they’re going to catch up with us soon!” Ginger#1 adds urgently.

As if to strengthen their point, the angry shouts of the mob turn distinctly clear from behind them. Carmilla scoffs quietly as she listens to what those idiots have to say.

“There’s the vampire cult!”

“They’ve got a savage monster right in their midst!”

“Burn them all!”

Carmilla narrows her eyes in irritation. Seems like these chants haven’t evolved much since the 17th century, after all. Still the same old ‘burn them’ mantra.

The only difference though, is that back then in the 1720s Carmilla would’ve turned back, brandished her fangs for full intimidation impact, and took a sip or two from the nearest whackjobs before she wreaked enough havoc in their ranks to effectively disperse them. She could still remember the terrified cries of those idiots as they scurried like fledglings back into their village, away from her looming form.

Now, though… with this tiny idiot maintaining a firm grip on her arm and an “I’m-watching-you-so-you’d-better-stop-trying-to-murder-people” glare, Carmilla doesn’t have much choice except to continue running like a headless chicken. She feels a vein throb in her clenched jaw, her fangs itching to slip out and settle this ridiculous business once and for all before she has to undertake even more disgracing measures with these idiots.

…Her fangs stay in, though, _almost_ guiltily. As much as Carmilla hates to admit it, she does feel bad after losing control in front of Laura. She has never acted that vampiric around the girl before… what if she… 

“We’re almost there!” Ginger#1’s voice rings out again as they reach the top of the hill, snapping Carmilla out of her reverie. The ginger’s right—she can already see their car parked under the shadows.

It is right at that moment, however, that Carmilla’s head suddenly jerks in alarm as she hears a distinct swishing sound from behind them. Growling, she tears her arm free from Laura’s grip and turns around—

—right to catch a _pitchfork_ thrown towards them in mid-air. Carmilla spins the tool around as soon as she catches it, then immediately hurls it right back at the mob with all her might.

Screams and terrified shouts erupt from the crowd.

“Carm!” Laura hisses, her eyes wide with shock. “Did you seriously just spear someone to death—”

“Hey, that was pretty cool!” LaFontaine says in awe, completely forgetting that they really shouldn’t be standing there chatting like this. “You ever joined javelin-throwing before?”

“I was still exploring my abilities as a vampire back then in the early 1700s,” Carmilla answers absentmindedly as she watches the mob shrink back momentarily. “Took up spear-throwing for fun.”

“Guys, we need to _keep moving_!” Perry’s urgent warning snaps them back to reality, and Laura huffs as she drags Carmilla by her hand again. She can’t believe Carm just hurled that pitchfork back, the sharp end facing the crowd, moreover—like, wasn’t there any other more-peaceful methods she could’ve taken? Who knows, she might have impaled someone right through their—

“Just to settle your mind, cupcake,” Carmilla’s low voice suddenly speaks up beside her, snapping Laura out of her morbid thoughts. “…I didn’t aim at their vital areas,”

Laura scoffs in disbelief upon hearing this, raising an eyebrow suspiciously at the vampire running beside her.

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“You aimed _away_ from their vitals?”

“Yes.”

She is still somewhat unconvinced, but Laura decides to give Carmilla the benefit of the doubt. The infuriating vampire seems to notice this, though—for her lips form that annoying smirk of hers as she glances at Laura.

“I haven’t practised my aim in a while, though,” she purrs. “So there might still be a chance that I missed and—”

“Oh, shut it,” Laura huffs in exasperation, only to Carmilla’s unregretful snicker.

They finally manage to reach their car safely, though—LaFontaine throws the door open, rushes everyone to climb in, and starts the engine. Carmilla decides it would take too long to shift and squeeze under the backseat, so she just dashes along in her giant black cat form as the car drives speedily down the other side of the hill.

* * *

  _Unknown road, Styria, midnight._

“…I’m hungry.”

“…………..”

“I’m really, really hungry.”

A sigh. “I know, sweetie.”

“Perr, please, can’t we just—”

“Absolutely unnecessary,” Perry answers with a wide smile. “We would surely find another town soon, and we’d be able to buy some food there and eat like _civilised_ people.”

Here she throws Carmilla a nasty look. One of their bulky luggage has accidentally rolled off when they hurriedly opened the car door during the Grand Mob Escape, so there is now an empty space available for Carmilla to sit tight in with her legs crossed. Laura much prefers it this way definitely—she hates seeing Carmilla slink in and out of the shadows of the forest during their earlier travelling arrangement.

Carmilla catches Perry’s look, but only deigns to reply it with an unbothered shrug.

“What? I still don’t see why you ostentatious bunch refused to let me catch some deer or hares or whatever’s prowling in this forest for you to eat. They make decent snacks for humans, y’know—I personally despise animal blood, but you guys can always cook the meat in a campfire or something.”

Perry looks like she was going to suffer from aneurysm for the second time—the first time being the very occasion when Carmilla first made the offer—and shakes her head vigorously.

“Thank _you,_ Carmilla, but I’m sure we’ll be fine without those _unique_ meals you are offering. It’s very kind of you to offer of course, but as I said, I’m sure we’ll find a normal town soon!”

Carmilla shrugs again, muttering something that distinctly sounds like, “Picky.”

Laura, despite her stomach’s insistent growling, finds herself suppressing a smile. She wouldn’t mind cooking games by a campfire, actually—she’s always wanted to try that kind of wilderness/survival stunts since she was a kid, but her dad has never let her tried something that ‘dangerous.’ However, after seeing Carmilla going all-out vampire on that poor mayor, she doesn’t feel like letting Carm out by herself. Who knows, she might just decide to run all the way back to the town to finish her business with the mayor the moment they let her out to catch deer.

But then again, she really is hungry… so is LaF, as they keep repeating. The only things she currently has which are edible are merely several packets of cookies, and honestly those don’t sound half as filling as a roasted piece of venison.

…If their GPS doesn’t show any nearby town soon, Laura thinks she might actually suggest for a vote to unleash Carm. LaFontaine will definitely vote for a yes, and Laura fancies she would, too, considering the loud growl her stomach has just produced.

As if reading her thoughts, Laura sees Carmilla’s reflection in the rear-view mirror grinning at her.


End file.
